The Medical Council of Thailand on Thursday upheld its decision to discipline three doctors who enabled former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra to spend his entire prison sentence in hospital, a day before the start of a Supreme Court case that could result in him being jailed.
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“More than two-thirds of the council voted to uphold the punishments,” Prof Dr Prasit Watanapa, the council vice-president, told reporters.
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“Members made the decision based on medical principles, evidence and reason.”
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The vote upheld an earlier resolution to issue a warning to one doctor and suspend the licences of two others involved in the transfer of Thaksin for treatment in a VIP suite on the 14th floor of Police General Hospital in Bangkok.
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The key issue, the council said earlier, was whether Thaksin was so ill that the prison hospital would be unable to treat him and would have to transfer him. It said it found “no empirical evidence” to support a conclusion that the former PM was “critically ill”.
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Thursday’s vote overrides a veto of the council’s earlier decision by Public Health Minister Somsak Thepsuthin, a Thaksin ally who has steadfastly denied attempting to apply political pressure to the doctors’ group.
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The public health minister, in his capacity as the council’s honorary president, was given 15 minutes at Thursday’s meeting to explain the reasons for his conclusion under Section 24 of the Medical Profession Act.
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“I did not come here to protect anyone, but for the sake of the medical profession and those who serve in it. I have no malice against anyone,” said Mr Somsak.
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He said he raised both ethical and procedural concerns during the meeting. He warned that the ruling could set a precedent that discourages doctors from treating patients with confidence, potentially limiting access to care.
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He also voiced concern that the council’s decision might be influenced by pressure from protest groups.
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While Mr Somsak was departing the Medical Council building, he was greeted with jeers and boos from people who had gathered there to hear its decision.
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Dr Prasit said all 68 members attended Thursday’s meeting of the council, which will now proceed with enforcing its resolution to punish the three doctors and notify the relevant agencies.
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The council has yet to confirm the duration of the suspension of the two doctors, who it found had issued documents that contained false medical information. They had denied wrongdoing and stood by their medical assessments.
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Rumours were circulating earlier about attempts to persuade some council members to overturn their decision through offers of certain favours. (Story continues below)
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A woman confronts Public Health Minister Somsak Thepsuthin, who was booed as he prepared to leave the Medical Council of Thailand building after defending his earlier veto of the council’s decision to discipline three doctors. (Photo: Pattarapong Chatpattarasill)
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Thursday’s decision could have an impact on the case that begins on Friday at the Supreme Court, which decided to review the legality of Thaksin’s hospital stay, with the possibility that the 75-year-old billionaire could be made to serve that time again, in prison.
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Thaksin, the de facto leader of the Pheu Thai Party and father of current prime minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, returned from 15 years of self-exile in August 2023. That same day, he was sentenced to eight years in prison — later reduced to one year by royal clemency — for abuse of power and conflicts of interest from 2001-06.
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However, he was sent to Police General Hospital after only a few hours in jail, complaining of chest problems. He stayed there in a luxury suite on the 14th floor for then next six months, before being released on parole in February 2024.
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The treatment he received prompted public outrage and deep scepticism about the extent of his ailments.
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Thaksin’s lawyer declined to comment on Thursday on the council’s decision.
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The revival of the controversy over Thaksin’s hospital stay comes at a challenging time for the Paetongtarn government, which is seeing its popularity dwindle amid a prolonged struggle to spur economic growth and domestic pressure to take a tougher stance on an ongoing border dispute with Cambodia.
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Prof Dr Prasit Watanapa, vice-president of the Medical Council of Thailand, announces the council’s decision to uphold its resolution to discipline three doctors involved in the treatment of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra. (Photo: Pattarapong Chatpattarasill)